Looking past the blood at Ashura

Ashura, the Shi’ite day of mourning for Mohammad’s martyred grandson Hussein, is so marked by bloody scenes of self-flagellating men that news reports about it rarely get beyond the vivid images (like our photo from Lahore on the right). Jack Fairweather has produced a fascinating short video that asks the question usually missed — what really motivates people to do this? — and follows one man who explains his feelings and joins in the ritual. This is the first part of a series on the Washington PostPostGlobal site meant “to challenge our perceptions of Islam as a monolithic and extremist creed.” If Fairweather keeps it as up close and personal as this, it should be very good.

Ashura isn’t a ceremony to do extremist ritual, it is a day to remember of bravery and chivalry. this extremist ritual are only some anagrams in Islam. you must know that the reason of progress of technology is islam and it’s encourage to learning

Islam has more than 70 type of belives.
Shia belive to peace for all who dont reversal humanity, free for all who dont reversal gentry of moral ,
islam try to aid whom people that are under injustice.
spirit of islam is very very beautiful and gentle .
Islam is totally spirit of equanimity.

as a shi’a , i don’t belief this activities.
some of this people that shown in pictures and harm himself don’t belief , ISLAM don’t permit any body harm himself even for hossein ( sallalah alayk ).
they have permission to battle with tyranny and cruelty untile they waste his life but this unwise activities is ineligible .
I hope this persons that lost his way to allah by loving hossein ( sallallah alay ) getup and know hossein is caller toward god no toward him. we should obey method and manner of him and his family to battle with cruelty .

hello. ofcoure these photos do not tell us truth obout islam.these people are from small group of muslims that do not know real islam.muslims are not allowed to hurt themselves or anybody .ashura is an important day for muslims to think about Human values and Commemoration. imam hossein(Grandson of Prophet Muhammad who was very very honest,brave and kind man that gave all things of him life and himself for Resuscitating right way.

this photoes belong to a very little numbers of Shi’s that act against the majorities Fatva(order) of grate Islamic scholars(al-olama) that count it as forbiden(Haram).This is a pure propaganda against Shi’a.